Zhang Xiaohong, a police official in Wuhan, Hubei province, said he believes the battle against the novel coronavirus pneumonia outbreak will be won soon, even though he and his colleagues are still engaged in a challenging fight.

At 1:30 am on Jan 23, Zhang, head of the public security bureau in Wuhan's Qiaokou district, received an order to deploy 300 police officers to Wuhan Tianhe International Airport for traffic control work.

"At that moment, we knew the battle to protect Wuhan had begun," Zhang said.

To carry out the mission, Zhang quickly established 10 teams and three commanders and launched a round-the-clock work schedule. Since then, 1,500 police officers in the district have devoted themselves to the fight.

"We are responsible for the control work at junctions, in communities and hospitals, and we are also in charge of keeping public order and offering services for local residents," Zhang, 58, said.

Over the past month, the bureau has arranged for more than 350 police officers to inspect the epidemic situation in 129 communities and has transferred more than 400 to help with control work in 47 hospitals and quarantine sites.

"I'm proud of my colleagues, as they're not afraid of difficulties and challenges during the outbreak," he said while sharing stories with the media at Sunday's news conference.

Last week, police officer Yi Xin, 24, received a call saying a patient urgently needed to be taken to hospital from their home, an old building without an elevator. At the risk of being infected, Yi carried the patient, who was vomiting, from the sixth floor and drove him to a hospital.

"Our police officers may be infected at any time, as we contact the patients every day," Zhang said.

He said one example involved six police officers who took the initiative to help medical workers control the situation in a makeshift hospital, meaning they could not return home for 28 days.

"I asked Peng Cong, one of the six officers, whether he was worried about being infected in that place," Zhang said. "He told me 'yes', but said he must rush forward when everyone feels afraid, because he is a police officer.

"Where the difficulties are, that's where we are. Where the epidemic is, that's where we are fighting.

"I always believe the coldest winter will pass, and the most beautiful spring will finally come."

Future expectations

Some of my colleagues told me they want to go back home as soon as possible after the epidemic ends to have the family reunion dinner that they missed on the eve of the Spring Festival, while others said they hope to restart our football league to enjoy matches and organize volunteers to intensify public security in communities after they win the battle against the virus.

What I hope for most now is to see police officers who fell ill get well soon and chat with them. When we win this battle, I am looking forward to witnessing the return of the hustle and bustle of the city.